This is not a particuarly good time to write a blog. Its 5:38 pm according to my computer, here in Jamaica – and 5:08 according to my Omega watch (but that’s another story). The hour in England is ridiculous, so no doubt many people won’t read this.

But I wanted to comment on a few things…

First of all, I don’t see anything wrond with a man who had illegal sex with a 13 year old girl being extradited to the US to pay for his crime, even if it is some 30 years after the fact. Why wasn’t he extradited before? Who cares if he can make a movie? What about Joe Blow who did the same thing and can drive a truck well – should he be able to get of Scott free too? Did Switzerland only get this boost of doing the right thing only becasue of a recent extradition treaty? On what basis can France and Poland protest?

Secondly – if it is so awful for a Third World Muslim country to have nuclear weapons – then why was the dictaroship in Pakistan allowed to get away with it? The ruler of Iran may be crazy, it is true, but there is some level of democracy there. And their crazy neighbour Pakistan (a dictatorship at the time) has the bomb. Calling them unstable would be a compliment. Pakistan has one because India got one. Why India needed one when they have more poor people than anyplace on Earth (apart maybe from China) is beyond me. Maybe its because their neighbour China got one (did they?) And what about that craziest of all nations North Korea? So far only one nation has murdered thousands of innocents with the use of the bomb. Lets hope they don’t have that idea again – though I wouldn’t expect this President to do something like that.

If I was the Prime Minister of Spain and my family looked like the Adams family, I would also want to protect them from having their images shown publically.

Its chilly enough for me to wear a long sleeve shirt outside. It must be like 80.

OK – scratch that – its actually 82. But still. Not sweltering.

Watching Saturday Night Live – never really appreciated the American humour on this show. Tends to be as close to slap stick as you can get without actually slapping a stick. But it does have its moments. The church lady of many years ago was pretty funny. And that duo who always tried to out do each other with their “I hate that when that happens’ routine.

But this one seems a little better than I remember. I’m gonna get back to that now, as I await my wife to emerge from her chrysallis.

OK – I guess the cat is outta the bag already. Some of you may have seen me make some oblique reference to prodgeny in a fairly recent post. My wife is expecting. Quite an exciting prospect as you might imagine. We had a pleasant visit to the Dr. yesterday, and saw the little thing who was happily waving at us, when not busy doing somersaults.

Still early days mind you.

Still – as I say – the cat is out of the bag, as most members of my family now know, as do several friends. And in Jamaica the bush telegraph is as active as ever, despite the prevalance of mobile phones – so no doubt there won’t be anyone I’ll be able to surprise with the news in a couple of days.

Ordinarily I would like to have ensured a sure future before going down this path. But I tend never to do things in the conventional way. And anyway, even if your the future appears sure at the moment, doesn’t mean it will be in a couple of years. So here we go! With luck I will be earning some income sooner rather than later.

Off to doctor this morning. Maybe a patty at Devon House. Maybe immigration – haven’t been there for a while. Down to Cross Roads. Perhaps go to the Colombian fair. No they aren’t selling Colombians – but various knick-knacks. Hopefully hammocks, which is where I bought mine a couple years ago. Its seen better days, and you feel like you are taking your life in your hands every time you try to relax in it. Which kind of defeats the purpose.

Perhaps off to Cuba again soon. To see my little step-daughter. That takes a little getting used to. Thanks to the fact that I’ve been spending money on my credit card like its going out of style, I should have earned enough points for a free flight there.

Perhaps in a while I’ll be able to swim to Cuba effortlessly. I’ve been doing a little exercise in the pool – but not enough to warrant that level of confidence. But I think this swimming in debt should be working wonders for attaining that goal

Today is looking quite English. Its overcast. Its been drizzling over night. Its damp. And ther eis a certina chill in the air. My wife is sniffling. It makes a very nice change from the usual blue skys and warm sun.

I’m going to venture outside now, through the open sliding doors (well – only partially open as its so cold – to check the mercury.

Eid mubarak – (or however that is spelt) for all my muslim friends. A very useful phrase to know if you are doing any shopping today or yesterday in downtown Kingston, where all shop owners are assumed to be Chinese. Its a bit strange when people come up to me and call me Mr. Chin – I don’t thing many people would think me Chinese. But as the only light skinned person in sight at that particular moment – it follows that I must be Chinese. “Hi Missa Chin – how much fi di slippas dem?” Meanhile, the Palestinian owner – who is also Mr. Chin – is occupied elsewhere.

Today I have an interview with a Barbados-based executive recruitment guy. While I have ideas on how to make money on my own steam, I am open to working for a well-run (read international) company here. Or, perhaps, elsewhere. I wouldn’t necessarily say no to working in Barbados or Trinidad or Miami. Rejavik, maybe not, even if I am enjoying our current chilly weather.

I looked through the Sunday Gleaner today in the career section. It was a little larger than usual. But there was nothing in there that I would be a good candidate for.

But increasingly I am coming to terms with the fact that I am relieved when I look and see no job vacancies for me.

The idea of becoming a wage slave once more doesn’t particuarly appeal.

Increasingly I find myself thinking of alternate solutions (none of them illegal!) to earning an income. And thinking of how it might be possible to work Cuba into this. Import and export from Cuba perhaps. Setting up a website with Cuban and Jamaican products for sale. Paintings.

Am also working on creating a blog that might be able to earn some kind of income. Some blogs like this – but stuff on Jamaica as a tourist destination – maybe Kingston specifically. And Havana. Where to go. What to do. But written in entertaining style.

But I’m not ruling out working for a company again – especially if its a well run one, which probably means an international one. Diageo. Cell phone company. Spanish hotel.

I suppose a lot of you guys are Facebook users. What about some of these new games. I’m playing Farmville, which is about as boring as it sounds – but still some level of fun, and good to get your mind off the impending doom in your real life.

Also playing Mafia Wars. I’m only a minion. But nice to know that I can use a crow bar if called upon, and to wallop some unknown sods occasionally.

As for Twitter it seems to me hat its apply named – as only those of a low IQ should find it interesting. Having said that, it seems that there are millions of people out there with the required level of intelligence, and I’m beginning to feel myself being sucked in. What does that mean about me???

My wife is at the pool with a friend. I can see her gesticulating in wild and Cuban fashion, with facial expressions to match. Fidel has nothing on her. Have no idea what she is saying, but it is very entertaining.

Went to Strawberry Hill in the Blue Mountains today. Very nice, but very closed. And it poured with tropical rain which you could see coming from a mile away – first obscurring the view of the mountains to the north, and then enveloping us. But through the drops we could still see sunny Kingston some 5,000 feet below, the Palisados, Port Royal, Lime Cay and the sunny beyond.

Then we went down to Irish Town where we lunched on curry and barbeque chicken (deciding against the cow foot with broad beans) at Crystal Edge, with its view of the lush green valleys. For desert we had cups of Blue Mountain coffee from Cafe Blue along with slices of rum cake and cappachino cheese cake.

Winding our way down to Papine and then Kingston we stopped at the art gallary in Liguanea and then went on to the Bolivar Gallary in Half Way Tree. This is a treasure trove of paintings, books and antiquities. A load of buddhas and gongs and Tibetan pray flags and the like had just arrived from India.

Then back home where we drank Havana Club and Appleton and then a glass of Guabita de Pinar (Seca) before settling into a supper of steak, fresh salad and fried rice.

Had an interview with a Barbados-based executive recruitment company yesterday. For roles here really. Its been a long time since I’ve changed the format of my CV. Following that discussion, it looks like I need to make a big change – from chronilogical to skill-based. That should keep me occupied.

Meanwhile, thinking of taking up some training on how to do FX trading. True, I’ve already lost quite a bit of money in that sphere – but this was by handing over a chunk of change to a pseudo-pharaoh. And not taking any money out of the pyramid he was building when I had the chance. If I was in the market myself, perhaps I’d be as happy as a pig in mud right now.

I see the Sun, as was to be expected, is putting forward the proposition that John Terry the British consul who was mudered in Mo Bay recently, was a victim of a gay-hate crime. And is no doubt faulting the Jamaican police for not following the lead which they have so intelligently picked up. I hope the Jamaican police go about solving this crime without being influenced by the interference from know-it-all newspapers, who really know nothing at all.

One year after the house of cards called Lehman Brothers collapsed , and bankers are rubbing their hands in anticipation of their Christmas bonuses. If it weren’t for the fact that I am hoping that they will send some of that cash my way, I’d be up on a soap box telling them to make atonement. Maybe Chairman Mao had the right idea after all.

On a slightly different plane – about that soap box – I think its high time we moved to beer crates. Soap boxes are piddly little things no more than an inch hich and three inches long. They are constructed of cardboard, so unless you leave the soap in them, they are unlikely to support your weight. And even if they did, they’d only give you an inch more of height. Pointless.